Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-08-18
Sirginia free gress.
W. ". B. GAL4AHKR, Edttor.
Charlesiown, Jefferson County, West Va
rs, 1857
Mr.. aud Mrs. B0,cser.

After supper the other evening MI
Bowser pulled a lot of statements of ac-
counts from his pocket with great gravity
of demeanor and spreading them out up
on the centre-tahle, he said
"Mrs. Bowser, do you see these?'
81 do"
"Do you know what they are?"
"Why, they are the monthly accounts
from the grocer's."
"Oh, they are. Well, | should say so |!
Do you know what this family has de-
voured, wasted and given to the Polacks
in the last month";"
81 know that we have been very eco
nomical."
"Do youl The grand footing is s64,
Mrs. Bowser-over S15 per week for a
family of four, and one of them baby
and another a hired girl with dyspepsia |!
l am no miser, but pronounce this an
outrage"
"But haven't ordered anything extra,
and I've tried to be careful and buy
close"
"Mrs. Bowser. lis your poor buying
and poor management. You don't know
anything more about running a house
than | do of bossing steamboat. Either
that or else the grocers are swindling me,
and | won't stand it. Hereafter | shall
do all the buying"
| gave the cook orders to tell him what
she wanted, and next morning Mr.. Bow
ser entered upon his new duties, The
first purchase he made was a bushel Of
potatoes from a peddlar in front of the
house, He gave sl.l0 and told the man
where to carry them. When he came
home TO dinner the cook had to tell him
81 put that bushel of potatoes into
three pecks, and then cut UP the whole
lot to get good ones enough for dinner
The first thing that came up from th'
grocery was consignment of ten cans o
pumpkins. This was followed by fft,
pounds of evaporated apples and one hun
dred dozen clothes pins. As nothing
further appeared the cook boiled some
potatoes, made pumpkin pie and stewe(
some of the apples. When he CANT
down to dinner Mr.. Bowser looked arounC
in astonishment.
"What does this mean ?" he finally de-
manded.
"Why, its all you sent"
He couldn't gainsay that, and by and
by he explained that he had saved fully
dollar and half on his purchases by
buying in such quantities.
"You paid ten cents per can for pump
kin, while ] got the lot for seven," he
went on. "Thirty cents isn't so very
much, but it is as good to me as to th'
grocer"
"Yes, but / bought about GHe can
month. You have enough here to las
vs. three years"
"Well, | saved forty cents on the ap
pies he protested.
"We have used just two pounds in tn
last six months, Mr.. Bowser At tha
rate YOU have laid in supply for tw'
years"
4 There was look of terror in his eyes
. and he dared not proceed to clothes pin
nor say a word about the potatoes.
s | went down with him next morning
= and as we halted in front Of the grocer
|, he called out :
!. "Say, Green, roast for dinner-tw
quarts of strawberries yum-say,
head of cabbage"
When we had driven away he said
me:
ii 1--WE were just eleven seconds in froI
of that grocery. You'd come here an
fool away half an hour to give the san
. order. You've got TO be right up an
down to business with these fellows"
When we came down to dinner we ha
roast pork and Strawberries and boile
. cabbage.
81 want to know what this means
r. exclaimed Mr.. Bowser as he showed bac
"This is what YOU ordered, dear, and
? didt take but eleven seconds. You did,
specify the sort of roast YOU wanted, al